The Jolly Boys' Outing (event)
For the episode, please see "The Jolly Boys' Outing". The "Jolly Boys' Outing" was a event that Del organised every year between 1960 and 1989. It typically involved Del and his male friends and family members hiring a coach for the day to go on a "beano" to Margate. The Typical Day Usually, the boys hire a coach to spend a day during the summer bank holiday weekend at Margate, starting with a few drinks at the Halfway House before setting off to the beach at Margate. They will also visit the amusement park and other attractions before taking a photo and heading home. Other traditions include: * sticking a sign up in the coach windows that informs people that the Jolly Boys are going to Margate * about 27 people going * sandwiches being made for the the boys to eat on the bus * buying fish and chips for dinner History The first Jolly Boys' Outing was shown during the first episode of Rock and Chips. Freddie "The Frog" Robdal joins the coach party but unfortunately ends up using it as an opportunity to rob a jewelers. Sid kept a photo of this trip and Rodney later uses it to identify Freddie as his father. Although the event has been mentioned a few times throughout the series, the only other time the Jolly Boys' Outing has been featured in the show was during the 1989 Christmas special, where it was the main storyline. The episode sees Del and 26 other lads, including Cassandra's father and Rodney's boss Alan, hiring a coach to, as ever, go to Margate during the Saturday of a bank holiday weekend. Del notices fumes from the radio he fitted to the coach but, before he can think anymore about it, Rodney interrupts and tells him that they have arrived at the Halfway House. Whilst having a few drinks and looking for Del, Mike bumps into his old rival Eddie Chambers. Mike then finds both Eddie and Del in the toilets, where Del has an idea: he says to Eddie that if he and Mike can have some free tickets to his nightclub, he'll bring the rest of the coach party down to pay at the door. Mike reminds Del that they have to be out of Margate by seven o'clock but Del suggests to flog the tickets to people on holiday. Then Mike tells Del what the problem is. Harry, the coach's driver, has apparently become drunk and the only other person who can drive the bus is Denzil. He says that he has had a few drinks but this can't be true because he is on antibiotics due to an ear infection. Eventually Denzil gives in and says that he will drive the coach to Margate. Just as the boys are about to leave, Rodney passes his football to Del but instead hits a policeman in the head, who arrests him. Del and Alan quickly get Rodney, who has been let off with a warning, out of the police station.